http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/holidays/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-good-holiday-is-about-unrest-not-rest/ Like a fat full-stop, it lay in my hand. A small orange – not exactly fresh, but purchased anyway because a toothless woman had walked half a day to sell it for just 30 rupees. I looked at it for a long time, then gouged a thumb under its skin. Then I laughed, because I’d travelled half the world and up a mountain’s worth of stone steps to do something I no longer have time to do at home: peel an orange. Like many people, I live a hyphenated life: Angela – mother; Angela – journalist; Angela – commentator; Angela – wife; Angela – cook; Angela – sex goddess (OK, maybe not). There are few moments when I’m just Angela. None when I’m the girl I once was – an inquisitive, globetrotting wanderer who thanked God she was born at the bottom of the world so she could spend her life exploring the rest of it. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-good-holiday-is-about-unrest-not-rest/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-good-holiday-is-about-unrest-not-rest/#item8587 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-bother-of-mothers-hit-the-road/ Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-bother-of-mothers-hit-the-road/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-bother-of-mothers-hit-the-road/#item8364 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-you-feeling-insecure/ Is your job less secure than the one you had five or 10 years ago? Are you a casual worker, or on a fixed-term contract or getting temporary work through a labour hire company? But, at the same time, are you working harder and longer hours than you were? If so, it’s not just you, it’s the Australian workforce as a whole. Today, the reality is that 40 per cent of Australians are in some kind of insecure work. That’s the combination of people who are casual (which is a quarter of the workforce alone), on contracts, and in labour hire, as opposed to the normal definition of standard, permanent jobs. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-you-feeling-insecure/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-you-feeling-insecure/#item7745 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-the-kids-take-charge-mummy-gets-to-complain/ holiday noun 1. (often plural)  a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel or recreation. “See,” I said to my daughter, stabbing a finger at the dictionary, as we sat in our rented beach house after she’d woken me at 5.47am with “an itchy bite”. (Thanks, whoever left the yellowing Pocket Oxford next to the Scrabble.) “Darling, a holiday is a rest and that means not waking so early.” Ten years I’ve been doing this ‘holiday with kids’ schtick, which isn’t actually a holiday but simply a relocation of our domestic chaos. Minus entertainment (Wii, Foxtel, Textas) and essentials (highchair, the forgotten teddy). penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-the-kids-take-charge-mummy-gets-to-complain/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-the-kids-take-charge-mummy-gets-to-complain/#item7622 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Were-all-going-on-an-endless-uni-holiday/ In a previous life, I was a chef. Not a great one, but I do have the little certificate and scars to prove it. The hours were long. I am sure we have all heard the horror stories of 16 hour days and 80 hour weeks so there is no need to discuss that at length. Anyhow, I decided that my future wasn’t in the kitchen, so university beckoned. Fast forward a couple of years and university holidays have come around again. On the 11th of November last year, I went on university holidays. I will not go back until the end of February. That’s around 110 days. It is a long time. Even so, it’s apparently not quite long enough. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Were-all-going-on-an-endless-uni-holiday/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Were-all-going-on-an-endless-uni-holiday/#item7578 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bad-family-summer-holidays-prep-you-for-the-real-world/ Every January, my sisters and I would be forced into a stinking hot car that, according to Mum, Dad had forgotten to service, and we’d argue our way to a camping ground. There we would argue some more and shower in a communal block where everyone wore thongs, so as to avoid that classic ‘70s foot disease, tinea. As Dad’s “short cuts” meant that the trip had taken us around the same amount of time as flying to Russia, we would have had precisely one day to “relax”. Or as an adult might put it: “Shut up, you’re on holidays and you’ll bloody well enjoy yourself.” On the way home we’d be treated to a night at a motel called something enticingly foreign like La Stupenda. If the health inspectors hadn’t been tipped off, we would race each other to dive into the filthy swimming pool which bore no resemblance to the aquatic wonderland featured on La Stupenda’s brochure (“Come and enjoy our range of superior European-style facilities with a Hawaiian feel.”) penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bad-family-summer-holidays-prep-you-for-the-real-world/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bad-family-summer-holidays-prep-you-for-the-real-world/#item7465 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coastal-holidays-of-your-dreams-ettalong-beach/ Just an hour away from Sydney by train, 45 minutes by car and a constant 18,000 kilometres from fashion is the seaside sprawl of Ettalong Beach. If you alight from nearby Woy Woy station, on a lucky day you can be welcomed upon arrival by the traditional overheard greeting phrase “give us back me smokes, ya sl_t”.  Then just pop yourself onto Blackwall Road, trot past the drive-through KFC, continue past the picturesque smash repair and bait shops, and you’re just about there. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coastal-holidays-of-your-dreams-ettalong-beach/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coastal-holidays-of-your-dreams-ettalong-beach/#item7363 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coastal-holidays-of-your-dreams-blairgowrie/ When you think of the perfect place to take a relaxing sea-side holiday, I think it would be fair to say that the first place that comes to mind is rarely Blairgowrie, Victoria. With its scenic Post Office (opened in 1947), wheelchair accessible public toilet (open 24 hours) and its exceptionally high blowfly-to-person ratio (no stats available), Blairgowrie is not far from Rosebud. Known for being the death-place of Nobel Prize winner Rhys Isaac, Blairgowrie is also close to Sorrento. In the heart of Victoria’s “Budget Coast” section of the Mornington Peninsula, Blairgowrie is just 87 km from cosmopolitan Melbourne on what may be the longest stretch of foreshore caravan parks in the world (no stats available). There are more caravans camped on the not-really-very-scenic foreshore here than there are caravans in the rest of the world (maybe). penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coastal-holidays-of-your-dreams-blairgowrie/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coastal-holidays-of-your-dreams-blairgowrie/#item7364 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/go-on-a-holiday-to-the-middle-of-no-where-and-youll-die/ Over the next few months, countless Australians will be forced to listen to their friends and co-workers ponder holiday destinations. Many factors will be considered during this process - from the number of recognisable landmarks that can be used to create obnoxious Facebook profile pictures, to whether the guy will believe them when they say the scooter was already dented when they got it. Chief among these considerations, however, will be whether or not their chosen destination will be overrun with other human beings, who intend to use the same chunk of land for similar recreational purposes. It is this exact concern that drives so many over-confident Australians, particularly Queenslanders, to embark on ill-fated outback adventures every holiday season. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/go-on-a-holiday-to-the-middle-of-no-where-and-youll-die/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/go-on-a-holiday-to-the-middle-of-no-where-and-youll-die/#item7377 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Whats-wrong-with-a-little-Christmas-spirit/ The principal of a school in Sydney’s west is the Grinch who stole Christmas. Imagine the confusion on the faces of the three-year-olds at their End of Year Singalong for parents at the Inner Sydney Montessori School. God forbid that they could be called Christmas carols! Instead of being allowed to sing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” their rosebud lips were twisted into wishing everyone a “Happy Holidays”. They became confused. Eyes welled up. Parents were furious. The song sheet had been expunged of all reference to the birth of Christ. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Whats-wrong-with-a-little-Christmas-spirit/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Whats-wrong-with-a-little-Christmas-spirit/#item7369 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Boys have done it forever. Often progressing through the decades from road trips as teens, to football trips in their twenties, to golf trips forever after. But any old banner will do to justify a boys’ trip. The institution is deeply rooted in our culture. It’s even got its own code. Most of which I’m not privy to, though the overarching dictate that, “What Happens On The Trip Stays On The Trip”, has spread into general society. There are many trailblazing female trippers, but in terms of cultural centrality the girls’ trip has some way to go by comparison. One type of girls’ trip that is clearly on the ascendant though, is the mothers’ trip.